Odesa mayor stripped of Ukrainian citizenship
Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov (Photo: Gennadiy Trukhanov / Facebook)
Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov has been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship based on evidence of him holding a valid Russian passport, Ukraine’s SBU security service announced on Oct. 14.
According to the SBU's Telegram post, the decision to revoke Trukhanov's citizenship was made by the presidential commission on citizenship issues. The decision is supported by evidence gathered by the service and has been ratified by a presidential decree.
According to the investigation, Trukhanov is currently a citizen of Russia and holds a valid Russian passport. The SBU published a photocopy of the document.
Trukhanov received the Russian passport on Dec. 15, 2015, well after Russia invaded and occupied swathes of Ukrainian territory, including illegally annexed Crimea. The passport is valid for 10 years.
The SBU added that in 2017, Trukhanov got his internal Russian passport annulled by a Moscow court. The court ruling, however, explicitly stated the annulment “does not lead to the loss of Russian Federation citizenship acquired legally.” Therefore, the SBU concluded that Trukhanov remains a Russian citizen. He also has a personal identification code listed in the Russian Federal Tax Service's database.
Shortly afterwards, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will soon appoint someone to govern Odesa, while Trukhanov maintained that he will remain mayor until Odesa City Council votes to dismiss him from the post.
Will you support Ukraine’s free press?
Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations.
As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility – to amplify Ukraine’s voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation.
It’s the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine.
If you’re willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda.
Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd.
If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly.
There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting.
We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If you’re willing to stand up for the truth – consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.
Will you help tell Ukraine’s story to the world?
Twenty years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyone’s lips and everyone’s headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of – from music and culture to technology.
We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If you’re willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
